Cat 5e or 6?

Concensus is it makes no difference as far as audio streaming is concerned...but in your circumstances why not go for Cat6 and future proff for higher speed networking?

BTW I recall the gurus at Naim recommending we don't mix shielded and unshielded cables in our networks so assuming shielded in the walls use shielded on the audio connections made to the router / switch.

regards
geoff

I can't comment on the difference in cables. But I would make sure that ducting is put in so tht you can change it later. Who knows what will be needed in five years time.

Agreed, at the very least the stuff is so cheap stick four runs to the primary rooms even if you don't anticipate using them, stuff them in the wall so you can pull them out later if needed.

Future wise I would go for CAT6.

Further more, here's an interesting development:
"An alliance of electronics manufacturers including Sony, Samsung, LG and Valens have designed a new technology that could soon replace HDMI – and you won't have to buy any new wires. Called HDBaseT (PDF), the standard uses the ubiquitous RJ45 connector and existing CAT5e/6 network cables to send video and audio signals, connect to a network, and even power devices remotely. HDBaseT 1.0 has the bandwidth to support full HD 1080p video as well as stereoscopic 3D and 2Kx4K formats. It provides up to 10.2Gb/s (on par with HDMI 1.4) and can theoretically scale up to 20Gb/s. You can use it to get online as usual, but it can also pump up to 100W of electricity, enough juice to power a small HDTV or something like a DVR, and it can be used with cables up to 100 meters long. The companies backing HDBaseT believe it's "poised to become the unrivaled next-generation home networking transport." The specification will be available for licensing this year and products with embedded HDBaseT technology are expected to reach the market by the second half of 2010 with adoption gaining mass in 2011. "

If you want it to be future proof why not Cat 7? It is built to higher tolerance and allows greater bandwidth.

quote:

Originally posted by naimUnT:
If you want it to be future proof why not Cat 7? It is built to higher tolerance and allows greater bandwidth.

Interesting, thanks

From Wikipedia: Cat 7 features even more strict specifications for crosstalk and system noise than Cat 6. To achieve this, shielding has been added for individual wire pairs and the cable as a whole.

Don't waste money on CAT 7. It's still not well defined and way to expensive. Go for CAT 6A - and mind the A on the end. It would give you an ability to use 10Gbit ethernet, and would still be on the sane side of the budget.

If you're not putting running the cables in raceways, but trough the wall, use a tube and, with the cable, add some plain wire, so you can later just add more or better cable.

Also, be careful about the wall plugs and the patch panel. They are just as important, if not more important than the actual cable! Have it installed by a professional, and if possible, tested/verified. Pick a nice place and a nice wall rack for the cables, preferably one big enough for any active equipment you might want to add (a switch, router... whatever).

Finally, don't regret on putting as many as you can think of, and having a double wall socket everywhere. And yes, you can use RJ45 to plug the RJ11 phone in there as well, so consider having the phone terminated in the same rack.

P.S. All shielded cables HAVE to be grounded on side, and only on one side. Inside the rack, on the patch panel.

quote:

Originally posted by nkrgovic:
Don't waste money on CAT 7. It's still not well defined and way to expensive. Go for CAT 6A - and mind the A on the end. It would give you an ability to use 10Gbit ethernet, and would still be on the sane side of the budget.

If you're not putting running the cables in raceways, but trough the wall, use a tube and, with the cable, add some plain wire, so you can later just add more or better cable.

Also, be careful about the wall plugs and the patch panel. They are just as important, if not more important than the actual cable! Have it installed by a professional, and if possible, tested/verified. Pick a nice place and a nice wall rack for the cables, preferably one big enough for any active equipment you might want to add (a switch, router... whatever).

Finally, don't regret on putting as many as you can think of, and having a double wall socket everywhere. And yes, you can use RJ45 to plug the RJ11 phone in there as well, so consider having the phone terminated in the same rack.

P.S. All shielded cables HAVE to be grounded on side, and only on one side. Inside the rack, on the patch panel.

Usefull tips, thank you.

Think how you'd feel if you saved money on Cat5e and then Malcolm Steward wrote an article about how Cat6 sounds better

Makes sense to go for the best up front. I just wish I could do it in my hovel

There have been several sources who claim that CAT6 sounds heaploads better than CAT5e. Nobody undeerstands why it's the case at this point, other than CAT6's noise rejection rate is very high by comparison.

Thanks for your replies guys. I will go for CAT6a.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Abela:
There have been several sources who claim that CAT6 sounds heaploads better than CAT5e. Nobody undeerstands why it's the case at this point, other than CAT6's noise rejection rate is very high by comparison.

If there is any difference then it will be most likely down to you hearing the interaction of common mode RFI coming down the cables or being induced into the cable. Remember Ethernet these days uses twisted copper pairs hence each pair is balanced of which there are 4. Therefore if you have RFI you need to get rid of it as it will conduct through your electronics. The best way is to add inductance to the Ethernet lead, the easiest ways is to clamp ferrite chokes on the cable. This goes for mains leas and I have even wired chokes for MM inputs to my phono preamplifier. RFI can be a real curse to Hif and these days of cheap consumer electronics and un shielded computers and switched power supplies there is a lot of it about in the domestic setting.
Simon

Simon - how would you choose a choke for ethernet or mains leads, and where's the best place (in the UK) to get them?

quote:

Originally posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:
Remember Ethernet these days uses twisted copper pairs hence each pair is balanced of which there are 4. Therefore if you have RFI you need to get rid of it as it will conduct through your electronics. The best way is to add inductance to the Ethernet lead, the easiest ways is to clamp ferrite chokes on the cable.

I don't know about chokes on the mains, but for ethernet... ?

First of all, out of the 90-something meters of cable in the run (standard says 100m of wire, but it's less then 100m of cable, since it's twisted, should be around 93m if I remember correctly) you can only have 10m outside of the wall. The rest is inside the wall. How do you add chokes inside the wall?

Second, any CAT 6A cable I have seen has at least a foil around the twisted wires. I think CAT7 have a foil around each twisted pair, plus a shield around the cable, but still - you have a conductor (the foil) around the twisted pairs. As I've said above, that conductor is grounded inside the rack, and the wall socket is also shielded (inside a metal case). Effectively you have a Faraday cage around the wall run of the cable, and everything in the rack is also in a metal cage. Why would you add chokes anywhere? The cage it self is the best way to add RFI shielding.

If you want, and if you use an unshielded run of the cable between the wall socket and the device you can try adding one there, tough I still don't think it's a good idea. That cable transports high-frequency signals, and adding inductance might make the connection much worse - but that's a place where you can try without much harm. Don't be surprised if the network transfer and package reliability goes down, tough :/ Although, it would probably be much simpler to use a shielded conductor there as well, with a grounded connector on the computer side, so it would ground that shield as well (don't ground the wall socket side, that would create a ground loop with the rack).

quote:

Originally posted by likesmusic:
Simon - how would you choose a choke for ethernet or mains leads, and where's the best place (in the UK) to get them?

Hi - I get mine from radio equipment specialist suppliers, however I put "clamp on ferrite chokes" into google and under the "Shopping results for clamp on ferrite chokes" section in the google listing htere were many suppliers.

Ferrite chokes are great for adding an inductive reactance to either shielded cables - where the RFI travels along the shield - or for balanced leads such as twisted leads or ethernet cables. Here the RFI comes down both parts of the balanced leads.

Also as you will know with RFI - "earthing" cables doesn't neccessarily remove the RFI in the cable - but inductance will if you add enough of it,

Simon

quote:

Originally posted by nkrgovic:

If you want, and if you use an unshielded run of the cable between the wall socket and the device you can try adding one there, tough I still don't think it's a good idea. That cable transports high-frequency signals, and adding inductance might make the connection much worse - but that's a place where you can try without much harm. Don't be surprised if the network transfer and package reliability goes down, tough :/ Although, it would probably be much simpler to use a shielded conductor there as well, with a grounded connector on the computer side, so it would ground that shield as well (don't ground the wall socket side, that would create a ground loop with the rack).

I really am not sure what you describing, it might be better to refer you to a book on EMC and RFI. But adding a shield doesn't prevent the transmission of RF along the cable, as if you use a shield you are creating an unbalanced transmission line, and RF energy can couple into the shield. As far as your comment of transfer and reliability, unfortunately it made no technical sense to me at all. CAT cable for 10 BaseT and 100BaseT use a twisted pair for send and a twisted pair for receive. These are therefore balanced and therefore inductance seen to a balanced lead will only reject common mode interference (ie intererence that is equally in both parts of the twisted pair) including RFI. If you can get access to a copy of Horrowtz and Hill, that is the excellent standard foundation text book that is often used by many electrical and electronic engineering under graduates, that can explain the concepts far better than in a forum.
Simon

I tried to edit but couldn't that should read Horowitz and Hill - The Art of Electronics ISBN-10: 0521370957

Simon